CO2 Can you leave it off while pouring beer

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Yes, I've been doing that way for years, Initially crank it up to 30, come back later and put it on the gas again and after its carbed up, when I'm pouring, give it more gas as needed. Reason: too lazy to drill holes in chest freezer for CO2 line and no room for 20# tank inside. I'm not pouring a lot of volume, maybe 1-2 pints a night so this works for me. If I get a cheap small tank I might change my ways, This also works when I use my 3 gallon Torpedo kegs in a standard fridge at the river house or in the camper, definitely no room to put the tank and regulator in 'fridge on those occasions.
 
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Yes, you can. As long as there are no leaks. So definitely check for those!

Now with every pour you lose some CO2 from the headspace. The beer will then (slowly) lose some carbonation to make up for that loss, until there's a new equilibrium.

If you top up the keg with CO2 after each drinking session, you may never notice. Unless you tap a lot that day.
 
The title asked if you can leave the gas off while pouring beer. To that, the answer is no. Well, you may be able to pour a pint or two but after that you'll be losing carbonation.
 
Yes, I've been doing that way for years, Initially crank it up to 30, come back later and put it on the gas again and after its carbed up, when I'm pouring, give it more gas as needed. Reason: too lazy to drill holes in chest freezer for CO2 line and no room for 20# tank inside. I'm not pouring a lot of volume, maybe 1-2 pints a night so this works for me. If I get a cheap small tank I might change my ways, This also works when I use my 3 gallon Torpedo kegs in a standard fridge at the river house or in the camper, definitely no room to put the tank and regulator in 'fridge on those occasions.
Ty
 
Yes, you can. As long as there are no leaks. So definitely check for those!

Now with every pour you lose some CO2 from the headspace. The beer will then (slowly) lose some carbonation to make up for that loss, until there's a new equilibrium.

If you top up the keg with CO2 after each drinking session, you may never notice. Unless you tap a lot that day.
Ty
 
I always shut off the inline valve after carbonation. After drawing a pint, I open the valve briefly to repressurize, then back off. I do this mainly to avoid those accidents where something fails, comes loose, etc. and you lose a keg of beer and a tank of gas. It’s also a good idea to disconnect the party tap if you’re using them for pouring; most are cheaply made and could easily fail. At most, I should only lose a keg to the point of equilibrium with atmospheric pressure in my cooler.
 
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